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How To Potato Stamp A Wall For A Stenciled Look

I did it. I finally completed Clara’s closet stamping project (you know, the one I started here)! And yes, if you couldn’t tell from the title, I made a potato stamp. It was actually really fun. Don’t roll your eyes. It was. And it was free. In fact this entire project cost me 99 cents since I used one tube of Folk Art Paint in Champagne (a soft and pretty metallic gold color) and two potatoes that we already had (never thought I’d list potatoes as existing DIY materials). As for landing on a pattern, last week I shared how my first idea, a $1 rubber stamper from Michael’s, didn’t work (the rubber stamp pattern was too fine, so it didn’t read at all in person (although in the photo it wasn’t as hard to see):

Claras Wall Stamp On

And then I moved on to a few freehand painted attempts like imperfect horizontal lines, x’s (aka: kisses), and random little rows of dots made by squishing a small craft paintbrush against the wall:

  Claras Wall All Paint Tests

As for my potato stamps, I just tried a few shapes that I did my best to freehand (from a weird little quatrefoil-ish thing to a star and a bee-hive-ish hexagon). As for the bottom right stamp, I saw this on Pinterest (originally from here), and decided to give it a try. I just carved a circle first (using the top of a salad dressing bottle as a guide) and then made little pizza-slice slivers around it to leave the asterisk-like shape.

Stamp Four Potato Grid

I also saw this celery stencil idea on Pinterest (originally from here) and gave that the ol’ college try too:

Stamp Cut Celery

Then it was time to test all of my “stampers” out on paper with the Folk Art metallic paint (in champagne) just to see how they did:

Stamp Test On Paper 2

  Stamp Test On Paper 1

Out of all the potential patterns, the little starburst circle one was our favorite. So off to the closet I went, just to see how it would look on the wall.

Stamp Super Close Up

I learned that it worked a lot better if I brushed the paint onto the potato with a small craft store brush (so I could remove the excess and prevent globs) as opposed to stamping it into my plate of paint (like you would with a rubber stamper).

Here’s a good shot of how the paint looks really metallic from certain angles. So soft and pretty.

Stamp Looking Up

After about an hour I had done the wall with the door on it and about a fourth of the adjoining wall to the left as you face it. Then I had to pause for a Clara nap and the rest of the day got away from me. But she did love the part that I had done once she woke up from her nap:

Stamp Half Done With Clara

No worries, I thought. I’ll just finish it tomorrow. But in the morning I realized something that sent me into a mild to moderate potato panic. My stamp had sort of withered overnight. Not too crazy like a raisin or anything, but the whole potato was substantially less firm than it was the day before. More like a sponge than a solid stamp. But I decided to give it a try just to see how it worked out (while holding my breath and crossing my fingers/toes/eyes). My method had to change slightly (since the edges weren’t as flat as they once were, I had to gently rock my wrist back and forth and up and down as I pressed it down to ensure that all of the starburst tips got applied to the wall). But miracle of all miracles it still worked.

Stamp Close Up

So onward I pressed. Literally. I must have pressed that potato into the wall 500 times. But it was surprisingly soothing. I know you’re rolling your eyes again, but there are some projects that are extremely tedious that I’m not a fan of (heck, painting the closet was totally boring) but for some reason I got into a nice little rhythm with my potato and my paint brush so it was kind of nice. Brush paint on, press while gently rocking wrist back and forth, move over a few inches, repeat. Oh and as for my spacing, I just eyed everything, but each stamp is about 5″ away from the next one and I just applied staggered horizontal rows so if you connected the dots it would make a ton of zig-zag chevrons.

I decided as I was stamping to the oldies (yes, I had Pandora on) that it was as good a time as any to think back about the last almost-15 months with the bean. So I sat/crouched/stood in there stamping my heart out and thinking about hilarious blowouts and first words and lost socks and restaurant meltdowns and all the other good/bad/ugly/amazing parenting stuff that has come been flung our way since Clara joined the family. Not a bad way to spend two hours.

Stamp Full Closet Pre Shelv

And guess what? Once it was dry and I granted Clara some closet clearance, she was so excited! She literally wanted to point to every last shiny stamp that was in there and squeal “stah!” (her version of star).

Stamp Clara Looking All Sta

The total time spent on the project (including various rubber stamper/potato/celery experiments and two installments of stamping) came to around three and a half hours. So worth it for the magical little subtly metallic reading nook we’re on our way to creating.

Next, we added the white shelving systems back in (that we removed before painting):

Stamp Weird Corner Shelves

And finally I loaded in all of her clothes, toys, and blankets. I even tossed down a fluffy faux sheepskin rug from Ikea and some pillows that we already had while adding some of her favorite board books to the little Clara-level corner shelves:

Stamp Full Closet Stuff In

Stamp Full Closet Angle

Stamp Filled Looking Down

Stamp Weird Corner Stuff

Stamp Angle Closer Up

I still want to DIY a beanbag (I’ve pinned lots of tutorials and ideas) but it’s pretty darn sweet in there already. And Clara had some fun taking it for a test ride. I think she likes loves it.

Stamp Clara Reading Far

Stamp Clara Reading Close

As for John’s impression, this convo ensued:

Me: It’s cool, huh? What do you think?

John: Yeah, it’s really Sweet Sixteen in there.

Me: What does that mean? It’s cheesy? Over the top?

John: No you know… (long pause)… expensive. Like the Louis Vuitton cakes they get. It’s really cool.

Sherry: Huh? (equally long pause) This might be our strangest conversation to date.

I’m so glad we all love it (even if some of us don’t really know how to put that love into words coughJohncough). And even my cheap-o work-with-what-you-have self is kind of shocked at the difference that 99 cents and 3.5 hours made in there (well, more like 5 hours if you count the closet-painting phase too).

Ok, so who’s surprised that I got all old school and made a potato stamp? I totally had flash backs of middle school while doing it. Who out there has stamped a wall instead of just painting or stenciling it? I must say there’s a surprising freedom to it since you don’t have to carefully place the stencil and make sure that there’s no paint on the back of it and that nothing gets smeared or anything. You just eye it and go. And it kind of looks like handmade wallpaper (imperfect, but kind of perfect because of that). This might be one of my favorite solo projects that I’ve done in the new house. Just because it’s from me to the bean with love. And quite possibly because it inexplicably reminds John of an expensive Louis Vuitton cake. Sometimes it’s the little things…

Comments

  2. Penny says

    That is so cute Sherry! Like the inside of a Kate Spade jewelery box or something. I totally used to read in my closet too, I had Christmas lights and everything but that reading nook is much more chic!

    Reply

  4. Catherine says

    WOW!! It looks amazing! Very feminine… very luxurious looking!! I would love a closet like that for myself!!!

    Reply

  6. Kathryn says

    A potato? Celery? Who knew!?!? I love this…way to decorate on a budget. I love your site because I can actually replicate what you do and try it for myself without breaking the bank.

    Reply

  7. Zoë says

    It looks great. It makes me want to go in there and curl up with a good book (and Clara looks so much like John in the shot where she is looking over her shoulder – so cute!) But for now I will hang my head in shame as I think of the awful mess that is the closet in my girls’ room. This post is giving me the kick in the bum that I need to clear it out. I know I can never turn it into a reading nook, but I can at least try to declutter.

    Reply

  8. Iomay says

    That is amazing! It’s beautiful and fun .. and I totally wish Carrigan had a bigger closet now! :) Also, maybe John ment… the MTV (or was it VH1?) show “My super sweet sixteen”…??????

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- I think that’s what he meant too Lomay! But then I thought “he must think it’s over the top and ugly” but he meant expensive and pretty. Men! So hard to understand sometimes. Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sometimes she likes to take things down and shove them back in (in a ball, haha) so not everything stays pretty and folded, but she has fun taking things out and shoving them back in. Haha.

      xo,
      s

    • Elizabeth says

      Well at least she’s learning to put things back! My niece just liked to empty things…shelves, drawers, cabinets, you name it!

  12. Catharine @ Your Modern Couple says

    haha leave it to John to say it looked like a Louis Vuitton cake! That had me literally LOLing at work. Awkward. And man! I guess I’v never noticed how huge and awesome Clara’s closet is.. That’s a little girls dream! I would have lived in my closet if it looked like that :)

    Reply

  13. KimT says

    I love the closet–and it’s so sweet that she has a cozy little place to sit in there too. And the romper she is wearing in that last photo seems to match Sue the napkin. You’re just that together :)

    Reply

  14. Valerie says

    In admiring Clara’s colorful wardrobe, this has actually inspired me to add more color to my own wardrobe. My closet looks much less pretty. (She says as she types wearing a black dress and gray belt.)

    Also, thanks for introducing me to pinterest! I’m already up to 65 pins over the course of a week, and my boyfriend can’t hear the word “pin” without rolling his eyes. :)

    Reply

  17. LLF says

    Wow, that looks great. I love it. As for the Sweet Sixteen, Clara will be getting to big for the reading nook when she’s sixteen. The awesome closet will then be perfect for all her LV bags and Louboutin shoes…j/k.

    Reply

  18. Kristal says

    It turned out great! Good job :) I’ve never actually heard of a potato stamp before but then again, I’m pretty new to DIY. I have seen the celery rose one on pinterest before though. Looks like Clara loves it and even though it still has her clothes in it, she’s already using it as a reading nook! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- you’re so funny! It really wasn’t perfect, but that was sort of the charm of it. I just carved a circle first (using the top of a salad dressing bottle as a guide) and then made little pizza-slice slivers around it to leave the asterisk-like shape.

      xo,
      s

  20. Mallory @ R. Simple Life says

    I love it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, although I knew if you guys had dreamed it up, it was bound to be good, but I’m actually surprised at how much I love the outcome. I’m tempted to do the same thing to my walls right now.

    PS That girl has some LONG legs. She’s so cute.

    Reply

  21. Laura@JourneyChic says

    Well, Clara’s turning into the next Mariah Carey with such a glamorous and sparkly closet! It’s adorable, and the potato stamps are genius. I don’t think I’ve them those since 3rd grade art class!

    Reply

  25. Janelle says

    I’ll admit, I was less than impressed with the freehanded shapes. I thought it looked like it would turn out pretty disastrous, so I’m glad to see you went a different route with it. I really like how it did turn out. I was skeptical even about the rubber stamp at the beginning. The pattern is subtle and simple enough that it looks nice when looked at overall. Well done Sherry!

    Reply

  34. Samantha says

    Ahhhh Sherry, I love it! I have potato stamping on my list of things to do with my little guy but I didn’t even consider stamping our walls using one! Hmm I think I might know what to do with our little hallway now!!!!!

    Reply

  36. Rachel says

    I love the sweet pic of Clara reading in her new nook. Her romper is so precious! The pink and gold is really glamorous and the pattern is kid friendly – you guys have perfected baby chic!

    Reply

  39. Kathryn says

    My childhood closet had a built in bench inside. It is a fond memory. You made such a sweet, cozy space in that closet! I love the pics of Clara admiring the results. She is going to remember it forever.

    Reply

  40. Kristin says

    Love the closet wall! Great job!

    By the way, if anyone wants to use a potato stamp too, try to store the potato over night in a small bin with salted water. When I want to slice potatoes and use them a couple hours later, I do the same to keep them crisp. They also will not turn brown as much. Remember, the water has to be salted!

    Reply

  43. AarthiD says

    The closet came out great! I’ve been following your posts on this project and I can’t believe out beautiful (and personalized) it turned out! Clara’s a lucky girl. :)

    Reply

  44. Nadia says

    Cute! I’m thinking of doing something like this in one of our closets too, but quick question, is there any reason why you didn’t use a stencil? I was thinking of using one but am wondering if maybe it’s not the right way to go? Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We also love stencils and plan to use them in other rooms of the house- I think I just liked the idea of something that felt imperfect and handmade, so I embraced the whole freehand thing since it’s a little girl’s closet as opposed to a more common room in our house where we might have a ton of people over, etc.

      xo,
      s

  46. allisen says

    It’s confusing to me that you don’t count stuff you bought already as a cost.

    You wouldn’t say: “Dinner tonight was totally free, because I had already had these groceries that I bought last week.”

    If you use 1/4 of a bottle of spray paint, it still costs 1/4 of the price you paid – it’s not free.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I guess it’s like saying I spent $10 to make lasagne and had leftover ingredients and used them to make soup, so it was a bonus “free” meal. We just like to look at receipts for costs of items that we purchase during a project (because existing items have usually already been calculated in previous project budgets). Things like the rug/pillows and gallon of wall paint were already in other budget breakdowns (even if we only used 3/4 of the gallon of paint, we added the full cost of the whole gallon to the first post’s cost breakdown). So we’d be double counting things if we added them up again. To us, it really was free wall paint since the leftover stuff would have just sat unused in the basement and we already recorded the full $20 cost in a previous post (even if we didn’t use all of the paint then). But if you want a true idea of the whole cost of materials with the potatoes, maybe add a few bucks? Hope that makes sense!

      xo,
      s

    • Suzanne says

      Some people do seem to count their budget in halves and thirds, etc. I tried that, but it drove me crazy!

      So I switched and do like you do, I count it fully when I buy it, then if I get to use it again it’s “Free”. It’s not 100% accurate, but it all washes in the end.

    • Lynnette says

      I’ve thought this too. Not as much with this project because I doubt the cost of a potato is going to break the bank for most people, haha, but on other projects it happens as well.

      Take for example the laundry shelves you recently built. In the budget breakdown you list the cost as $74, excluding the primer, paint and all the baskets, which I understand because you already owned those items so you’re considering them sunk costs in your budget.

      But it would be nice if maybe in your budget breakdown list, you could include a price for those items you purchase a lot, like the paint/ORB spray paint, etc, so those of us who don’t own those items already could get a better idea of what a similar project might actually cost us. It could just be something simple like:

      Primer & paint (Kilz No-VOC primer, $22 & Olympic No-VOC paint, $20): already owned

      That way there’s a bit more realistic cost breakdown for us while still keeping true to what the project cost you. I love your guys’ frugal mindset but sometimes it’s a little frustrating as a reader to be inspired by a project only to realize the true cost of the project would actually be more (or sometimes a LOT more) because we don’t all have the supplies and tools on hand the way you do.

      Anyway, just a thought! Love the blog and the potato stamp project! Clara is one lucky little lady.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I love that idea! We’ll have to try to indicate that in the parenthetical notes so folks who buy everything from scratch will have a better idea of the total cost.

      xo,
      s

  50. Erin says

    You are so Clever I love all your ideas and how simple you make it look :) Buying a house soon and cant wait to get started.

    Reply

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